MeS for Canada
selves as Canada’s “first licensed cannabis producer”, now claim to have over 4.3million square feet of indoor and greenhouse cultivation space. Rather than inhabit the traditionally shadowy, secretive drug world, their aim is to become “a part of the fabric of every neighbourhood that welcomes us… setting the new standard for cannabis, right here in Canada.” To that end they have even opened a “cannabis visitor centre” at their production facility on the site of an old Hershey’s chocolate factory.
Parent company Canopy Growth, a producer of medical marijuana, is valued at more than £8billion. One of its directors, Adam Greenblatt, says the new law will keep millions of Canadian dollars out of the hands of criminals. “The fact that we are moving away from a Prohibition model is a victory for human rights and social justice,” he says, adding that it is “an economic windfall for the Canadian economy and a sign of social progress”.
Even Coca-Cola appears to be eager to get in on the action: business analysts Bloomberg reported recently that the soft drinks giant is “in serious talks” to develop cannabis-infused beverages.
Such is the demand for the newly legal dope, it is feared that even this “green rush” may not be enough to keep up with demand. Most analysts are predicting a shortage of recreational marijuana for at least a year as suppliers struggle to meet demand, meaning that until they catch up, unlicensed and black market retailers may still continue to operate, or even flourish as more people are tempted to experiment with the drug.
For some, such teething troubles are a warning that the drug’s legalisation may not represent a new high point for Canada after all. “This legalisation is the largest public policy shift this country has experienced in five decades,” says Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety for the district of British Columbia. “It’s an octopus with many tentacles and there are many unknowns. I don’t think when the federal government decided to legalise marijuana it thought through all of the implications.”